Machines for shearing metal strip into narrower strips



March 12, 1957 w s 2,784,783

MACHINES FOR SHEARING METAL STRIP INTO NARROWER STRIPS Filed July 28, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig .1.

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MACHINES FOR SHEARING METAL STRIP INTO NARROWER STRIPS Filed July 28, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 [Pi Fran Q/esf BY 4, 90/141 71241411 ATTORNEY March 12, 1957 w s 2,784,783

MACHINES FOR SHEARING METAL STRIP INTO NARROWER STRIPS Filed July 28, 1954 3 Shets-Sheet 3 I INVENTOR I S [n2 fiank/es? BY a. yuAhWuc/u ATTORNEY United States Patent MACHINES FOR SHEARING METALSTRIP INTO NARRGWERI STRIPS Eric 'Frank West, Birmingham, England Application 'July 28, 1954, Serial No. 446,200

1 Claim. .(Cl. 164- 60) This invention has reference to a machine for shearing metal strip into narrower-strips, of the kind in which the strip is supplied from one side of the machine into a bite formed by interengaging rotary cutters spaced apart on superposed parallel shafts lying in a common plane .andis cut into narrower strips emerging on the other side of the cutters, the narrower strips, or the useful narrower strips being coiled.

As the strip is fed on a table towards the cutters, it

.is orthodox practice to support the underside of the strip the usersaspect-because itrernains on articles fabricated .from the strips,.and where a high-quality strip finish is demanded, as is common in many trades, additional lahour is required to effect removal. .Apart from this,

thefillets are compressible and bendable and evenwhen made accurately to commence with their period of effective use is of short duration because their longitudinal edges become worn by friction due to the rubbing action of the cutter faces on the edges. The cupping effect is even more objectionable because it results in narrower strips which are not uniformly flat in cross section and in the manufacture of sheet metal pressing from such strips, the cupped edge either causes difiiculty in feeding the strips into press tools or the pressings or some of them are imperfect where pressed, pierced or raised at the cupping. Moreover, where users of such strips perform a premanufacturing rolling operation with the intention of removing the cupping to attain flatness, the flattening operation often results in making the strip slightly wider which is unsuitable for intended manufacturing requirements. These objections lead to the slowing down of production, additional expense and the unproductive use of labour.

According to the present invention there is provided a rotary sheet metal shearing machine, comprising upper and lower parallel shafts adapted to be driven in opposite directions, spaced cutters on said shafts, rings arranged eccentrically of said shafts and having a smooth peripheral surface, the said rings filling in the spaces between adjacent cutters on said shafts, and means for urging the smooth periphery of said rings into rolling engagement.

with strip being sheared, said means incorporating pairs of upper and lower rollers in working contact with the periphery of said rings, on each side of said shafts, said rollers being rotatably mounted on tie bars having sleeves engaging fixed uprights on said machine, said sleeves being adjustably connected to said uprights and being capable of maintaining said rings in predetermined ec- 'rections through gearing 4.

into narrower strips.

2,784,783 Patented Mar. 12, 1957 centric positions relative to said shafts so as to support said rings during the shearing operation.

In orthodox shearing .practice, there can be a group of, for example, fouror more spaced rotary cutters on each shaft, and under the invention, rings in rolling contact with .the strips will be provided alternately on the respective cutter shafts.

metal shearing machine:

.Fig. .1 is an elevation of a conventional shearing machine-incorporating the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side .view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of Fig. 1 drawn-to a larger .scale.

.Fig. 4 is a section of Fig. 3 taken on the dotted line AA.

Figs. 5 .and 6 show diagrammatically sections of sheared stripas producedrespectively by the known machines andaccording to the invention.

In the drawings,.a sheet metal shearing machine comprises a frame having-pillars .2 which include bearings for a superposed parallel shaft 3 whose axes lie in a common plane, these shafts being driven in'opposite di- Fast on the shafts 3 are several cylindrical cutters 5 which are spaciall y arranged in conformity with the width at strip is to .be sheared These cutters 5 are maintained the required distanceapart by spacing sleeves 6; in the example shown-there are four cutters .5, .per shaft, for

shearing a .strip into three narrower strips 7 of predetermined width, and scrap .marginal strips .8. As will be seen.from.Fig. 2,.a coiled strip 910 be sheared-is payed oil from a reel 10 at the front of the machine into the bite of the cutters 5, via the supporting rolls 11, 12, and the sheared strips 7 emerging at the back are coiled on reels 13. The foregoing is common in shearing machine practice in combination with the employment of wooden fillets above referred to and which are normally located between the inner faces 14 of adjoining cutters 5 and supported from below by a table on the machine frame.

It will be appreciated that the longitudinal edges of such fillets will be subject to friction through contact with the faces 14 of the fast rotary cutters 5 so that in the course of time the said longitudinal edges will become worn and have a loose fit with the faces 14. The result is that the edges at the lines of shearing are given a cupped effect 15 which is pronounced or exaggerated for illustrative purposes by Fig. 5, while as the strip 9 is traversed between the cutters 5 as shearing progressively takes place, the upper surface of the fillets become indented under wear, and scratch or mark a side of the strip.

At those regions where shearing takes place, a ring 16 with a smooth cylindrical surface 17 interfits between the adjoining inner faces 14 of a pair of rotary cutters 5, the ring or each ring 16 being urged in rolling contact with the strip at the points of shearing by suitably positioned rollers 18. A ring 16 is floatingly and eccentrically arranged around a spaced sleeve 6 and is independent of either cutters 5 or sleeve 6 and the ring operates under the influence of the rollers 18, which are precisely adjusted relative to the thickness of strip to be sheared, to exert a light but positive pressure on the strip at the point of shear.

The result is that the cylindrical surface 17 lying in lightly pressurised rolling contact with the surface of the strip forms a rolling abutment across the width of the strip and so that upon shearing the ring is rotated by the strip and backs up the strip along its cross section, the result is that the sheared edges do not suffer from the cupping defect but remain uniform with the plane of the strip.

In constructing a ring 16 of the precise length for interfitting between adjoining cutters 5, it is more convenient to turn and grind the entire cylindrical surface 17 to a uniform diameter but since the margins of the surface 17 are to be mainly relied upon to back up the strip at the shearing point, it will be understood that the scope of the invention includes such minor changes where the ring has margins which are truly cylindrical whereas the intermediate part of the ring need not be cylindrical nor of the same diameter. For simplifying the adjustment of the rollers 18 relative to the upper and lower rings 16, pairs of parallel rollers, 18, are mounted in hearings on tie bars 20 having sleeves 21 adjustably engaging perpendicular supports 22 on the machine frame 1, these tie bars 20 being adjusted up and down by screws 23 and if desired, locked to the supports 22 by clamping screws. The upper ring or rings 16 is/ are also supported below by a similar pair of parallel rollers 25, secured to the support 22 by clamp screws 24.

Apart from the advantages above referred to, it is found that the rolling ring 16 simplifies the entry of a strip into the bite of the cutters, and in some cases dispenses With the need to provide driven feed rolls for effecting the entry of a thick strip.

I claim:

A machine for cutting lengths of sheet metal into strips comprising, in combination, an upper shaft and a lower shaft parallel thereto, means for driving the 'shafts in opposite directions, axially spaced pairs of cooperating cutters mounted, respectively, on the upper and the lower shaft, freely floating rings having a smooth peripheral surface mounted'on each shaft between alternate pairs of axially adjacent cutters, the rings on the upper shaft alternating with the rings on the lower shaft, the peripheral surfaces of each ring having the same width as the spacing between the pair of axially adjacent cutters wherebetween it is mounted, axially spaced pairs of upright posts mounted on each side of the shafts, first horizontal bearing means vertically adjustably mounted on each pair of posts, two horizontally spaced rollers journaled in the first bearing means for rolling and supporting engagement with said rings mounted on the lower shaft, means for moving and holding the first bearing means in a predetermined vertical position, said position determining the vertical position of the lower freely floating rings eccentrically in relation to the lower shaft, 21 second horizontal bearing means vertically adjustably mounted on each pair of posts, two horizontally spaced rollers journaled in the second bearing means for rolling and supporting engagement with the lower portion of said rings mounted on the upper shaft, means for moving and holding the second bearing means in a predetermined vertical position, said position determining the vertical position of the upper freely floating rings eccentrically in relation to the upper shaft, and a third horizontal bearing means vertically adjustably mounted on each pair of posts, two horizontally spaced rollers journaled in the third bearing means for rolling and pressing engagement with said rings mounted on the upper shaft, and means for moving and holding the third bearing means in a predetermined vertical position to hold the upper rings in the desired eccentric position between the rollers on the second bearing means and the rollers on the third bearing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 474,822 Foote May 17, 1892 560,231 Riggs May 19, 1896 672,899 Haasch Apr. 30, 1901 1,725,176 Bevis Aug. 20, 1929 2,205,573 Medwick et al. June 25, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 137,899 Germany Jan. 8, 1903 

